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1) MILITARY FAMILIES LOBBY PARLIAMENT
Tony Blair has refused to meet the families of those killed in Iraq. He has
not visited the many hundreds of soldiers wounded in his war nor attended
any of the funerals of those killed.

The families are demanding a meeting with Tony Blair because they need an
accounting for the reasons the country was taken to war and the reasons why
they have suffered so much.

On Wednesday April 26 the military families are organising a lobby of MPs in
parliament. Following the lobby they will be laying a wreath at the Cenotaph
and delivering a petition to Downing Street. They are calling on other
families and servicemen and women to join then to make clear to Tony Blair
that he cannot continue to ignore them.

The open letter the families have written to Tony Blair can be downloaded
from here:
http://www.mfaw.org.uk/

The petition demanding that Tony Blair meet the bereaved families can be
signed here:
http://www.petitiononline.com/MFAWAp06/petition.html
and downloaded for collecting signatures here:
http://www.stopwar.org.uk/new/resources/index.htm

The families are asking every anti war group and peace activist to contact
military veterans they know or anyone they know with family in the services,
and encourage them to join the lobby of parliament in London on the 26
April. Please circulate this call as widely as possible. Stop the War
Coalition will of course fund expenses for the military families attending
the lobby.

WEDNESDAY 26 APRIL 26
MILITARY FAMILIES LOBBY PARLIAMENT
12 noon – 2.30pm : meeting and lobbying MPs in parliament.
2.30 pm: proceed to the cenotaph for wreath laying, then to
downing street to deliver the petition.

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2) A CARNIVAL OF CONDI PROTESTS
Well, whose idea was the Condoleezza Rice visit? What a PR disaster it
turned out for these experts in spin. Everywhere she has been met by large
protests: on Friday 31 March at the Blackburn school, outside the Liverpool
Institute of Performing Arts, and on the steps of Liverpool Cathedral, where
at least 3000 gathered, and then on 1 April again in Blackburn, when a
thousand mainly locals braved torrential rain on the last day of Rice’s
tour.

It’s not just the size of the protests but the support. LIPA students turned
their backs on Rice. Blackburn school students refused to go into school.
Jennifer John sang Imagine at the concert but then went on to an unscheduled
Give Peace a Chance. That’s a really brave thing to do and apparently Straw
was furious.

It’s also the hundreds and thousands of little things that make up a demo:
the homemade placards and the different slogans that come forward; the bands
like the samba band in Liverpool; the coffin which a kind Liverpool
undertaker lent us free of charge on condition we returned it; the music and
poetry and creative ways people express themselves.

So these demos were real carnivals of protest where everyone felt great and
that we’d achieved a great thing. The north west has said she’s not welcome
here. Even the civic reception with Muslim leaders looked very sparsely
attended on TV.

There are a lot of thanks due to a lot of people but especially Merseyside
Stop the War Coalition, and Blackburn Stop the War and their colleagues
across Lancashire.

And we should be grateful to Condoleezza for building such big protests
which will only help Stop the War in the north west. Maybe they’ll send us
Dick Cheney or Donald Rumsfeld next.

THIS IS AN EDITED VERSION OF LINDSEY GERMAN’S REGULAR
BLOG ON THE STOP THE WAR WEBSITE:
http://www.stopwar.org.uk/lindsey/

FOR A SUMMARY OF HOW THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
REPORTED THE CONDI VISIT FIASCO GO TO:
http://www.stopwar.org.uk/new/Coniworldpress.htm

FOR PHOTOS OF THE CARNIVAL OF PROTESTS SHE FACED ON
HER VISIT, GO TO:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/04/337313.html

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3) BUSH BLAIR CORPORATION
This is the text of a letter from Stop the War Coalition to Mark Thompson,
Director-General of the BBC, which was handed in to BBC offices when they
were picketed across the country on Tuesday 4 April.

Dear Mr Thompson,

We write to protest in the strongest possible terms against the failure of
the BBC to broadcast any reports of the anti-war demonstration in London on
March 18 on any of its TV news bulletins.

This demonstration was one of a large number held around the world to mark
the third anniversary of the start of Iraq war, a significant landmark. We
estimate that 80-100,000 people attended the London protest. Speakers at
the concluding rally included the chief foreign representative of the
al-Sadr movement in Iraq, a major force in that country?s politics,
parliamentary figures from the Labour, Liberal Democrat, Plaid Cymru and
Respect parties, the well-known musician Brian Eno and the parents of
several of the British soldiers who have died in Iraq, as well as an SAS
soldier who had recently served there.

It defies belief that you found this event unworthy of the slightest
mention. Such an attitude can only undermine belief in the power of
peaceful democratic protest. We would like to quote from just one of the
many e-mails received on this subject:
My daughter and her friend joined the march on Saturday. It was their first
independent project as ‘citizens’ and they were elated to be doing it. On
returning home they both looked to see what coverage of the march there was
on the BBC. As you say, there wasn’t. This was a disappointment to two
idealistic young people eager to make their voices heard. It was not a good
experience of ‘living in a democracy’.

We also note that the Defence Secretary John Reid was afforded the
opportunity to attack the demonstration?s purpose on the Today programme on
the morning of March 18 ? thereby incidentally establishing its
news-worthiness ? without any representative of the organisers, or any
alternative view, being given a chance to comment.

This would seem to us to indicate a systematic hostility to the anti-war
movement and to those critical of the government?s Iraq policy,
notwithstanding that we speak for most of the country on this matter if
opinion polls are to be believed. We believe that this represents an
abandonment of the BBC?s charter obligations to impartiality and fairness on
matters of political controversy.

We would be grateful for an explanation of BBC policy on these matters, and
in particular as to why news of Saturday?s demonstration was blanked out by
BBC News, and would ask you to make time for a meeting with us to discuss
this further.

STOP THE WAR COALITION HAS RECEIVED NO REPLY FROM
MARK THOMPSON. IF YOU WANT TO WRITE YOUR OWN LETTER
OF COMPLAINT TO MR THOMPSON, YOU CAN DO SO ON
mark.thompson@bbc.co.uk

If you wish to complain to Peter Horrocks, Head of BBC Television News:
email: peter.horrocks@bbc.co.uk

FOR REPORTS AND PHOTOS OF THE BBC PROTESTS ON 4 APRIL
GO TO:
http://www.stopwar.org.uk/new/beebdemo.htm

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4) A STANDARD FOR ANTI-WAR ACTIVISM
From the USA come these complimentary remarks about Stop the War Coalition
in David Swanson’s review of the Verso/StWC book NOT ONE MORE DEATH. David
is no slouch himself when it comes to anti-war campaigning and we very much
appreciate his comments.

“The Stop the War Coalition in the UK has set a standard for anti-war
activism that we in the United States struggle to match. They’ve held larger
protests, convened more significant conferences, and moved their agenda
further in public opinion, in Parliament, and in the courts than we have
done.

On Tuesday they organized protests nationwide outside the studios of the
BBC, which of course already provides a level of openness and honesty in its
reporting that those of us in the Land of the Free can only fantasize about.

Many in the U.S. turn to the BBC for better news than the muck our networks
produce. Many of us who want to end the war in Iraq look to the Stop the War
Coalition’s leadership and are grateful for the protests they create when
Condoleezza sets foot on their soil, and for the statements, posters,
pamphlets, and books the coalition produces.

The newest book from the Stop the War Coalition is called “Not One More
Death”. It’s as good a statement as I’ve seen of why this war is cruel and
destructive and why we must devote our energies to ending it as soon as
possible.”

NOT ONE MORE DEATH is available from the Stop the War office, price £5:
Order by telephone 020 7278 6694 or online at
http://www.stopwar.org.uk/new/NotOneMoreDeath.htm

DAVID SWANSON’S WRITINGS ARE AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.opednews.com/author/author9.html
David is also a leading organiser in the campaign to have George Bush
impeached for his illegal war in Iraq. SEE:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/

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5) STOP THE WAR ANNUAL CONFERENCE
SATURDAY 10 JUNE
FRIENDS MEETING HOUSE
EUSTON ROAD, LONDON WC1
As well as the usual resolutions and elections to be discussed and voted on,
the fifth annual national StWC conference on Saturday 10 June will include a
wide range of workshops lead by keynote speakers (see below). The
conference is open to delegates from groups affiliated to Stop the War
Coalition and to paid up individual members who wish to attend as observers.

FOR FULL DETAILS OF THE CONFERENCE ARRANGEMENTS AND
REQUIREMENTS GO TO:
http://www.stopwar.org.uk/new/Conference.htm

Early registration for the conference is recommended to ensure your place as
either a delegate or observer. All affiliated groups must complete 2006
re-affiliation before submitting delegate names.

FIFTH ANNUAL STOP THE WAR CONFERENCE
SATURDAY 10 JUNE
FRIENDS MEETING HOUSE
EUSTON ROAD, LONDON WC1

WORKSHOP TOPICS WILL INCLUDE
– Iraq Today: Towards Democracy of Civil War?
– Why Iran is Under Threat
– Where Now for Palestine?
– Is Latin America the Next Target?
– The Forgotten Wars in Africa
– Civil Liberties and Guantanamo
– Islamophobia and the Anti-War Movement
– Military Families Against the War

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6) FUNDING APPEAL
Tony Blair is spending 2.8 million pounds on the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan every day. Killing thousands of people and destroying their
country is an expensive business.

Tony Blair gets this money to destroy human life and resources from the
taxes of ordinary people, most of whom have opposed his warmongering from
the start. Stop the War Coalition also relies on contributions from
ordinary people to sustain our campaign to help bring the end to Blair’s
wars and to hold him to account for his war crimes.

As always after organising a large national demonstration, we have accrued
large expenditures which need to be covered. To encourage our supporters to
give a donation to ensure Stop the War Coalition is able to continue
organising the peace activities which have brought us an international
reputation for anti-war activism, we are offering a complimentary copy of
our new book NOT IN OUR NAME (list price 5 pounds) to everyone who donates
10 pounds or more to our campaign. You can donate in three ways: